Art Nouveau Jewellery
Historical Elegance
For a growing number of consumers in today’s jewellery market, antique and vintage pieces oFFer historical significance, genuine value, and original beauty. One oF the most popular and elegant periods was art nouveau, with its organic lines, mystical motifs and natural forms.
By Ioannis Alexandris
Art Nouveau tourmaline snake stickpin. (Lang Antiques)
Art Nouveau natural pearl and emerald ring in gold. (Gemolithos)
The Art Nouveau period swept through decorative arts and architecture beginning in the mid-1890s, and lasted until around 1910. Fabulously creative, this particular style was known by many names throughout the world. In Germany, it was Jugendstil. In Italy, it was called Floreale or Stile Liberty, while in Britain, it was often known as the Glasgow Style. Its name means “New Art” in French, and can be traced back to a gallery in Paris owned by Samuel Bing that was re-opened in 1895 under the new name of La Maison de l’Art Nouveau. For its grand opening, Bing featured artists who were among the founders of this new design style. The name caught on, and for the next 25 years, Art Nouveau gained enormous influence in decorative arts, architecture and jewellery in France, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Austria, Germany, Scandinavia and America, among other countries.